Interested in ways to use maple syrup aside from atop your morning pancakes? Why not try granola? This recipe has fewer ingredients, less sugar, and is cheaper than pretty much any granola you can find in a store. We made and tested this and this recipe gets our approval!

Dry ingredients:

3 cups old fashioned rolled oats

1 cup sliced almonds

1 cup roughly chopped pecans

1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

1/3 cup sunflower seeds

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 pinch salt

Wet Ingredients:

1/3 cup coconut oil (melted)

1/2 cup maple syrup

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 275F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl. In a smaller separate bowl, combine wet ingredients and stir to prevent them from separating.

Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients. Mix thoroughly so that the dry ingredients are completely coated and all the ingredients are fairly uniformly distributed.

Press the granola in an even layer on the baking sheet and place the sheet in the oven. Bake for one hour. After an hour, rotate the pan and turn the oven up to 300F. Bake for an additional 15 minutes. For less clumpy granola, stir gently a couple of times while the granola bakes. Remove the sheet from the oven and allow to cool completely before storing.

This recipe can easily be adapted depending on your preferences. Any kind of nut or seed can be used in place of the almonds, pecans, or sunflower seeds. You can add more coconut if you’d like, or leave it out completely. If you prefer sweeter granola, add a couple tablespoons of brown sugar to the dry ingredients.